Mental examination in baby starving case

PEORIA, Ill. -- An attorney for a 23-year-old Peoria man accused of allowing his five-month-old son to starve to death earlier this year has obtained court permission to have his client examined by mental health expert.

William Loeffel, who represents James Sargent, says he wants the court to determine if Sargent is fit to stand trial or if he was insane at the time of the baby's death.

Loeffel says his client appears to be living in a "fantasy world" and has not been able to help him prepare for the case.

Sargent and the boy's 21-year-old mother, Tracy Hermann, were charged in February with first-degree murder for the death of their son, Benjamin Sargent.

Police say the boy died after going without food or water for eight days.